knarr



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

- J. A. KNARR.

GRAVE LINING. No. 571,090. Patented Nov. 10, 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN A. KNARR, OF PUNXSUTAWVNEY, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO HENRIETTA KNARR, OF SAME PLACE.

GRAVE-LINING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 571,090, dated November 10, 1896.

Application filed March 18, 1895.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN A. KNARR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Punxsu- 'tawney, in the county of Jefferson and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Grave-Lining, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to agrave-lining, and has for its object to provide a simple, inexpensive, and efficient construction of lining adapted to be arranged within a grave to concoal and hold in place the sides thereof, the wall-sections of the lining, which are of rigid or inflexible material, being provided with suitable means for adjustment, whereby they may be arranged to suit the size of the coffin to be arranged therein.

Further objects and advantages of the in- Vention will appear in the following description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the exposed portion of a grave-lining constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the complete grave-lining. Fig. 3 is atransverse section of the same. Fig. 4 is a detail view in perspective of one of the adjustable end sections,showing the outer side thereof. Fig. 5 is a similar view of one of the central side sections and the contiguous portion of the frame to show the manner of attaching the same thereto. Fig. 6 is a similar view of a slightly-modified form of side1section adapted for use in adapting the lining for the largest and smallest sizes of coffins. Fig. 7 is a similar View of one of the adjustable rests or supports. Fig. 8 is a detail bottom plan view of the means for securing the supports or rests at the desired adjustment.

Similar numerals of reference indicate cor responding parts in all the figures of the draw- 1ngs.

1 designates a horizontal frame adapted to be arranged upon the surface of the ground around and contiguous to the grave-opening, said frame having adjustable end bars 2, provided with slots 3, parallel with the longitudinal center. of the lining, and engaged by thumb-screws 4, by which said end bars are Serial No. 542,221. (No model.)

secured in place to suit the length of the grave. Depending from the horizontal strips comprising the frame is a vertical apron or shield 5, which is adapted to be arranged at its lower edge contiguous to the surface of the ground, and in order to support the frame in a horizontal position,whether upon level or uneven surfaces, I employ rests or supports 6, which are segmental in construction and are arranged within and in contact with the inner surfaces of the side portions of the apron or shield. These supports or rests are adapted to hear at their upper edges against the under surfaces of the horizontal strips-comprising the frame, and near their lower extremities against the edges of theend portions of the apron or shield, and they are longitudinally slotted, as shown at '7, for engagement by adj Listing-bolts 8, the heads of which are arranged contiguous to the outer surfaces of the side portions of the apron or shield. Said adjusting-bolts preferably consist of thumbscrews, extending through openings in the apron or shield and through the slots in the supports or rests and engaging nuts 9, which are held from turning by seats 10, formed in supporting-strips 11, arranged contiguous to the inner edges of the horizontal portion of the frame. Similar strips 12 depend from the adjustable end bars 2, whereby they are adjustable with said bars, and the strips 11 and 12 are provided at intervals with studs or pins 13 for engagement with openings near the upper edges of the sections comprising the lining.

The en d walls 14 of the lining are provided at their upper ends with slightly-elongated openings 15 for engagement with the studs orpins on the end strips 12, and each end wall comprises relatively adjustable sections or members 16 and 16, which are halved or rabbeted to interlock and expose flush inner and outer surfaces, as clearly indicated in Fig. 4. To hold said sections at the desired adjustment, or at the desired width at their lower ends, for a purpose hereinafter explained, I employ straps or plates 17, secured to one of the sections and extending parallel with the surface of the other section, each strap or plate being provided with a slot 18, which is engaged by a thumb-screw 19.

The side walls of the lining consist of central sections and auxiliary sections 21 and 22, said auxiliary sections being provided with keepers 23 and 24, respectively, with which are engaged tie-rods 25, whereby said kc epers have open upper ends to provide for the insertion of the tie-rod s. The outer ends of the tie-rods are provided with hooks 26 to engage eyes 27 which are secured to the inner surfaces of the end wall sections by means of integral plates 28, and secured to the inner surfaces of the central side-wall sections are keepers 29, having thumb-screws 30 to engage the inner portions of the tie-rods and hold the end-wall sections in the desired positions. To prevent the auxiliary sidewall sections from spreading or being displaced longitudinally of the lining, I employ adjustable collars'Z-il, fitted upon the tie-rods and adapted to be arranged in contact with the outer surfaces of the keepers 24:, said collars having thumb-screws 32, whereby they are locked in their adjusted positions. The contaeting edges of contiguous side-wall sections are provided, respectively, with projections 33 and grooves 34 to receive the same, whereby lateral deflection of the lower ends of the sections is prevented. The inner ends of the connecting-rods are bent outward to form handholds 35.

The side-wall sections are provided at their upper ends with openings 36 for engagement with the pins orstuds 13 on the inner surfaces of the side strips 11, the openings in the central side-wall sections being of such size as to fit the pins or studs, and those in the auxiliaryside-wall sections being horizontally elongated to provided for adjustment of the auxiliary sections.

In Fig. 6 I have shown a slightly-modified form of auxiliary side-wall sections, which is reversible, being provided at both upper and lower ends with openings 37 for engagement with the pins or studs on the strips 11, and with oppositely-disposed keepers 38 for engagement with the tie-rods, the manner of using this modified form of section being explained in detail hereinafter.

In order to hold the upper ends of the side and end wall sections in engagement with the pins or studs 13, said sections being flush at their inner surfaces with the inner edges of the horizontal strips comprising the frame, I employ side and end covering-leaves 39 and 4.0, the former of which are hinged to the inner edges of the sides of the main frame, while the latter are hinged to the inner edges of the adjustable end bars 2. These covering leaves or strips are adapted to be folded downward into a vertical position, as shown in Fig. 1, to finish the inner-edges of the frame and conceal the means for securing the upper ends of the side and end wall sections.

Arranged in the bottom of the groove within the spao: inclosed by the lower ends of the 1ining-se3tions is a box 41, which forms the bottom of the lining, and the construction of the end-wall sections, as above described, is

such as so provide for arranging the width of their lower ends to suit that of the box which is selected as sufficient in size to hold the coffin. The lining is adjusted to suit the length of the opening at the top by means of the end bars 2, as hereinbefore explained, and a similar adjustment of the lower ends of the end-wallsections may be accomplished by adjusting the connecting-rods 25. For the extreme large and small sizes of boxes I preferably employ a single auxiliary sidewall. section, such as that shown in Fig. 6. For the small sizes said sections are arranged with their larger or broader ends upward, and for the largest size of boxes they are arranged with their smaller or narrower ends upward. The perpendicular edges of the said auxiliary sections are arranged contiguous to-the edges of the central side sections, and the inclined edges thereof are arranged contiguous to the inclined end-wall sections.

In the drawings I have shown the sides of the lining extending to the plane of the bot tom of the box 41, but this is 'not an essential feature of the invention, inasmuch as the different depths of graves may be equipped with the lining by allowing the sides thereof to extend only a portion of the distance toward the bottom of the box with their lower edges in contact with intermediate points of the sides of the box. Thus a single lining may be adapted for use in connection with graves varying in depth a distance equal, approximately, to the height of the box 41.

In order to form such a lining for a grave as to prevent the caving in or loosening of the earth either before or during the opera tion of lowering a eoflin, I preferably construct the side and end wall sections of plates of a suitable inflexible material. These plates may be metallic or may be of thin boards.

Various changes in the form,proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A grave dining having a supporting frame, depending side and end walls com prising inflexible sections detachably eonneetcd to the frame, and means for detachably connecting the wall-sections at their contiguous edges, substantially as specified.

2. A grave-lining having a horizontal frame, and a series of depending detachably-con neetcd inflexible sections combining to form side and end walls, in combination with a box to cover the bottom of the grave and fitted between the lower extremities of the sections to hold the latter in place, substantially as specified.

An adjustable grave-1ining having inflexible side sections mounted for inward and outward adjustment, inflexible end sections mounted between the planes of the side sections for inward and outward adjustment, the

end Sections being constructed for expansion and contraction in width, whereby the space inclosed by the walls may be varied in length and width, and means for securing said parts at the desired adjustment, substantially as specified.

4. A grave-lining having a rectangular frame, lining-sections depending from the inner edge of the frame, an apron depending from the outer edge of the frame, adjustable supports or rests arranged respectively at the corners of the frame between the planes of said lining-sections and apron, and independent means for securing the supports or rests at the desired adjustment, substantially as specified.

5. The combination with a frame, and lining-sections depending from the inner edge thereof, of an apron depending from the outer edge of the frame, segmental slotted supports or rests 6 arranged between the planes of the lining-sections and apron and projecting at their lower extremities under the lower edge of the apron, and locking-bolts engaging the slots in the supports or rests to secure the latter at the desired adjustment, whereby the apron bears upon the supports or rests at intermediate points to hold the frame at the desired elevation, substantially as specified.

6. In a grave-lining, a frame adapted to be arranged around the mouth of the grave and provided with spaced pins or studs, side and end lining-sections provided at their upper ends with openings to engage said pins or studs, and means for securing the lining-sections from disengagement, substantially as specified.

7. The combination of a frame adapted to be arranged around the mouth of the grave, and provided with depending strips, inwardly-extending pins or studs carried by said strips, side and end lining-sections provided at their upper ends with openings to engage the pins or studs, and hinged leaves on the having movable end bars, means for securing the end bars at the desired adjustment, in flexible side and end lining-walls each comprising relatively adjustable sections, and means for detachably securing said lining-sections to the frame, substantially as specified.

9. The combination of a frame, end liningsections comprising relatively adjustable members, means for securing said members at the desired adjustment, central and auxiliary side lining-sections, tie-rods engaged at their outer ends with the end lining-sections and connected at intermediate points with the auxiliary side sections, means for securing said rods at the desired adjustment to the central side sections, and connections between said side and end lining-sections and the frame, substantially as specified.

10. The combination of a frame, end liningsections supported by the frame, central and auxiliary side linin g-sections supported by the frame, tie-rods provided at their outer ends with hooks engaging eyes on the end liningsections, keepers on the central and auxiliary side lining-sections for engagement with said tie-rods, and means carriedby the'central side lining-sections for securing the tierods at the desired adjustment, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN A. KNARR. Witnesses WILLIAM R. DEPH, JAMES S. ST. CLAIR. 

